The Rescue of Peeta
by HungryForMore74
Summary: Katniss must rescue Peeta. She meets the head of special forces and has to try to convince her to help. A new character is introduced that might hate the Capitol as much as Katniss does. This adventure happens during Mockingjay. Have a good read and review please. Thanks
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Meeting

I hate hunting by myself. I miss my hunting partner, but I have to clear my head and Gale is busy with Beetee in the weapon's lab. When you hunt in pairs you feed off of each others strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. My weakness now tends to be impatience. Especially at District Thirteen not rescuing Petta yet.

The woods are refreshing this time of year. There are maples and oaks like home; it's the tall pines that stand out, raising majestically into the sky. It's been a quiet time though, for some reason the game has been scarce. I spot a rabbit and pull back my bow and was about to shoot when the rabbit runs from the noise. A gun shot, then another. It's hard to tell where they are coming from with the echos but I go ahead to find them. The gunshots continue and they're getting louder. After a few more minutes of walking. I see them. Three soldiers, one with a large rifle, one looking through a telescope and one looking through binoculars. The one standing sees me and waves me over.

"Hello Miss Everdeen." She says as I approach. It's funny to have someone call me Miss Everdeen; it feels as if I'm being treated as an adult. She puts out her hand and introduces herself as Captain Emma Dever, commander of Company S. "Call me Em." I answer back "Katniss".

As I look at her I have the feeling I've seen her before. She is a woman a little younger than my mother, with short black hair, about my size dressed in camouflaged clothing. There is something about her eyes. It could be that they are as blue as Petta's but that's not it; it's when she looks at me I fell she is peering directly at my soul.

I shake my head to stop from staring and look for the target but I don't see anything. "Where is the target?" I ask. "One thousand yards that way" she responds pointing. "This is sniper training. It's a two person team. One is the shooter and one is the spotter." Another shot goes off and the spotter says "Hit."

"I see we interfered with your hunt. Gentlemen, you can take off now, we're finished here". I didn't mean to stop them but Emma asks if she could come with me hunting. I say "Sure". And it was nice to have company.

Emma asks to see my bow and she compliments it's craftsmanship. "Did you make it?" "No, my father" I reply. "Thank you. He loved making them." "And you're a very good archer. That apple shot in training wa..." Before she could finish her sentence I say "That's where I've seen you before. In the game-maker's box. But you had long red hair then."

She chuckles and says "Yeah, I had it long until the incident." "What incident?" I ask curiously. "That's a story for another time." She then comes to a full stop and points. She is pointing to a rabbit behind a bush, almost perfectly camouflaged with it's brown coat. I can barely make it out; she saw it though. I load my bow pull back and shoot. Perfect kill. I tell her "Thanks" but she says she was the spotter and I made the hit. I say "It's a two person team." She smiles and nods in agreement.

We stop talking and both go into hunting mode. She's quiet, very quiet. She doesn't have a gun or a bow, so I just assume she is going to spot for me. While walking she throws a knife. Perfect hit. As we retrieve the rabbit I comment "That was a great throw." She says "Thanks" as she cleans her knife on her pants. "And also on your Victor Tour. But I was a blonde." I look at her with bemusement while I picture her as a blonde. "Yes. That's right. You were always in the background."

"I was with internal security. My assignment was to keep an eye on you. But, in reality I was there to protect you and Peeta." I ask "How long are you with the rebellion?" She tells me she joined Plutarch's group about five years ago.

"When did you come to District 13?" She responds "I was on one of the hovercrafts the night of your rescue." I look at her and start to formulate all the questions I want to ask. "Our job was to rescue all the surviving victors. Unfortunately we were not alone. Peacekeepers had entered the arena and we could only get the three of you." I come back kind of abruptly "Why me? Why not Peeta?" I can feel my heart start to race when I ask that. "We tried. You and Peeta were both priority one but we came under too much fire and had to retreat." "I'm not sure you made the right decision" I say. She looks directly at me with those eyes and says "Don't say that. You're very important to people." I snap back "To Coin and Plutarch." "No. I mean the people who love you. Your mom, Prim, Gale, Peeta and even Haymitch."She seems to know alot about me, but then again I am an open book.

I look at the ground. "I'm sorry." I quickly change the subject. "So, were you always with security?" Emma responds "No. Prior to that I worked directly for President Snow." I stop in stunned silence. "What? What did you do there?"  
"I did special jobs for him" she says but the look on my face shows I need more. "I killed people. I was his personal assassin."

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This is an action, adventure story told in 15 chapters. It will have new and existing characters from The Hunger Games and is being told during Mockingjay. I have completed the story but I have not uploaded all of the chapters yet. Still proofreading. This is my first bit of fiction I have written and I am still learning character and story development. I have changed most of the some of the chapters since I first uploaded them to correct grammar and sentence structure(I'm sure I will find more errors). I also changed a few character traits to be consistent with a future story.

Emma's back-story has been published. It's called _Emma's Games. The Fifty-Seventh Annual Hunger Games_. Also look for Emma in _The Book Dungeon_.

Enjoy the read. Reviews and PMs are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Who is Emma Dever?

An assassin. A professional murderer. I know it takes all types but this seems too much. Who has she murdered? How many has she murdered? Did she just murder Capitol people? Has she killed anyone in the districts? Anyone in Twelve? Maybe someone I might have known.

Who would know? Plutarch, yes. But he wouldn't tell me. Haymitch, maybe. Beetee, he might know some. I'll start with him.

I make my way to the weapon's lab hoping Gale is not with him. I would rather talk to him alone. Gale and I have not been getting along lately and he'll just delay me in getting the information I need. When I get down to his level he's alone. "Katniss. Good to see you. Come in, come in." Beetee always reminds me of an absentminded professor. Always coming up with something brilliant but not being able to remember where he put anything. As he leads me in he feverishly tells me of his newest project. Something he and Gale have been working on. A new triggering device. He explains it to me but I don't understand anything he's talking about but I nod politely. After he finishes I bring up my meeting with Emma Dever.

"Oh. Wonderful woman. Great commander of Company S." Company S. That's right, she said that. From what I remember from the little training I've gotten, the labels of the companies are A through J. No S. "What's Company S?" I ask innocently. "S is not regular military. It's one of our special forces." I had never heard of special forces "What's special forces?" "They sabotage, spy, insert small squads, rescue. They rescued us from the arena you know." "I know" I respond in a low voice.

"We work with her quite often. She's always down asking for something for one of her missions. We are making this trigger to her specs. And smart. Very smart. She understands everything I say and she remembers everything." Beete gushes on about the Captain but this doesn't seem to help me. "Thanks Beetee, but I have to run. See you at dinner?" "Oh yes dinner, yes,yes of course." He'll probably forget.

I track down Haymitch. "Hello sweetheart" he says with a nasty tone in his voice. I hate when he calls me that but I write it off to withdrawal. Trying to sound just curious I ask "Do you know Emma Dever?" "I've met her a couple of times over the years. Why do you want to know about her?" That's odd, why would he meet her before coming to Thirteen. "She would be at some of the Games and functions for victors. I don't think she ever mentored though." Mentored, she was a victor. Before I could ask more he adds "Come to think of it I kinda came up with your strategy from her victory. She won her games without any kills. Zero. Not one." Now it's my turn and I have a load of questions. "What district, what year?" Haymitch responds with a two. "It was after me, 56, maybe 57. She was brilliant. Usually tributes who don't make alliances die early. Like the red-head in your games she stayed alone." She was a career who went it alone. That's strange. Now my curiosity has really peaked. I turn around to ask more questions when I see Haymitch is out cold. I don't think he's drunk, I think he just fell asleep. I give him a little kick but nothing. I roll him on his side and put a blanket over him and leave.

Now where. I wonder if they have copies of the games here. Why would they? But it's worth a try. I find out there is a library in Thirteen. I'll try there.

I find the library. It's a cavernous room, rows and rows of shelving units with books and tapes from the floor to a ceiling twenty feet high. It's not near anything, down in one of the lowest levels. Nell, the librarian, greats me cheerfully. She is a plump woman with fading green streaks in her hair. The room has few people in it. I get the feeling she doesn't get many patrons here.

"Hello young lady. Welcome to the Archive. How can I help you". Before I ask for what I'm looking for I have to ask, "You're not from District Thirteen, are you?" "Nope. The Capitol. I was chief librarian. This library is so much bigger than the one in the Capitol. So many more books, so many tapes. Books that I've never heard, tapes I've never seen. Well, how can I help you?" "I'm looking for tapes of previous games. 56 and 57". "You are in luck. I'll get them for you."

Nell gets me the tapes and shows me to a viewer. I quickly realize it was year 57. And I start to watch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Fifty-Seventh Annual Hunger Games

I start to view the games.

When it starts she darts and picks up a pack and a few other items and sprints into the woods. It shows the usual bloodbath at the cornucopia. But her fellow tribute from two doesn't make it. At the end of the day there are fourteen tributes left. I find it hard to watch. I drift off as I watch the games morph into my games. I shake my head to refocus. She keeps running. I notice she's fast, very fast. Faster than I am. And I'm the fastest girl at my school. She climbs a tree in the woods and just keeps an eye on whats going on around her.

When night comes she climbs down and starts to build a fire. That's crazy. I don't understand it. It doesn't seem cold, she's not cooking and she'll attract the careers. She also stacks some stones next to the fire. She lights the fire and then takes off. Back up a tree and she watches.

Interesting, the stones look like a person huddling over a fire. She has set a trap. And her bait has worked. Here comes a group of six. It looks like the careers and a couple of others. And a pack of four. Two from the group of four attack what they think is a person with spears. There is not a cannon and they approach to make the kill. As they approach they're pounced on by the careers. As the fight goes on the two that hadn't attacked take off. So much for loyalty in the games. It's six against two. The two are killed and one career also dies. Three cannons go off. One career looks like she's wounded seriously. As they're helping her back they stop and rest. One of them walk behind her and slits her throat. Another cannon.

As Emma watched all this from her perch in the tree she has absolutely no reaction on her face. Not a smile that a ruthless killer might show nor a look of disgust from a child thrown into a horrible situation. She's killed four without getting her hands bloody.

It's day two and ten are left. The four careers are out hunting for victims and the others are just trying to stay alive by avoiding them. The game-makers seem to content with this considering how much blood was shed on day one. On day three nothing happens and I start to wonder how much longer the game-makers will allow this to go on.  
On day four it starts. Rain. So much rain that it starts massive flooding. They want to drive them all together down in the valley. One by one the water takes the tributes to a lake. Emma refuses to give up though. She desperately wants the high ground. She tries to climb trees but it seems that each tree she starts to climb gets uprooted. The game-makers seem to be targeting her. She is being swept by the water. She tries to grab tree after tree but can't keep a grip on them. She's trying to get something out of her pack, it looks like rope. She throws it over a branch and catches the other end. She starts to climb the rope and pulls herself out of the water. It's a very hefty tree that looks like it'll stay. She stays there until the waters subside.

The water took the life of one girl tribute. As the water goes down it leaves a few islands with a few tributes on each. Some of the tributes dive back into the water to save themselves and others fight it out. Emma stays in her tree and just watches it all. One cannon. Two cannons. Three cannons. And now there are six.

Three careers, the pair and Emma. She starts going uphill until it starts to get dark. She finds a tree to bed for the night, ties herself in and goes to sleep. Nothing else happens the next day with her or any of the others and she tries to dry out her supplies and then goes to sleep.

Overnight she wakes up and hears someone. She spots the allied pair who by chance settle in at the base of her tree. One goes to sleep and the other one guards but falls asleep. One hour passes and she starts to lower something but i can't see what it is. I see now, it's a hook and she's lowering it towards their packs. She is trying to snag the packs. She has it at the level when the wind blows it towards one of them and it hits his face. He doesn't awaken, he just swats it away thinking it's a bug. She tries again and gets one and starts to lift it all the way up. Then she just sits and watches them.

When dawn breaks they wake. One of them looks around for his pack and starts yelling at his teammate. Things escalate and a knife fight ensues. One drops and the cannon goes off. He grabs the remaining pack and takes off. I think that Emma has to get out for the hovercraft to pick up the body. She has to get out quickly or they'll know she is close by. She attached the rope to the tree and slides down. She runs off and the hovercraft appears.

And now there are five. I fast forward until I see Emma spying on the careers. When they take off, probably to hunt Emma and the boy. She starts working. It looks like she's putting wood and leaves in a pile. For a fire? I don't think she believes that trick would work again. She makes the pile and then leaves. Finds a large tree, climbs and watches.

The careers had no luck hunting and they bed down, leaving one on guard. She climbs down the tree and holds here finger in the air. She lights the fire and takes off. It is not a large fire but very smoky. The career on guard gets up and awakens his fellow tributes. One backs up and covers the rear as the other two approach the fire. As they enter the smoke they start to cough, one of them violently. One drops right there and the other one starts to run but is overcome and falls. The third takes off. The smoke was poisonous. No cannons so it only knocked them out.

She again climbs a tree. She sees the now solo boy approaching the knocked out careers. He closes in cautiously and feels for a heartbeat. He sees that they are alive, he lifts his spear and kills one then the other. Two cannons. And now there are three.

For days nothing happens even though the game-makers have tried. They've tried to drive them together using fire, smoke, water and animals. The camera focuses on a clump of bushes but I'm not sure what they are looking at. Suddenly I see a bush move. I bet you she's in there. The camera now shows the solo boy to one side of her and the career on the same side but further away. She shoots an arrow towards the career, he sees it picks it up and walks towards where it came. She then fires an arrow at the solo boy. He sees it and then walks away from where it came from. They are walking towards each other. She has set them up. Now she waits and watches.

The solo boy see him and runs. When he is caught he realizes he must fight and they go at it. One dies and the other is injured. One cannon goes off and a minute later another. She is the victor. She exits the bush, trumpets blare and a hovercraft picks her up.

I look back at the reaping. Nothing special. They pick her name, she goes up and sits. No expression on her face. The tributes in the chariots, pre and post interviews, also not remarkable. Her score, a six. Her strategy, be average.

I'm finished here and it's time for dinner so I join my mother and Prim in dining hall. As we're eating a message arrives. I read it to myself. _How is your investigation going? Maybe I can help. Join me for hunting tomorrow? I'll bring your bow. Five in the morning at the gate. Give your answer to the soldier._

I turn around and say "Yes."

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Look for Emma in _Emma's Games. The Fifty-Seventh Hunger Games._ It is an expanded view of her games. It is also different in many respects. Thanks._  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Hunt

I'm at the gate early. I'm feeling very anxious about spending time with Emma. Maybe it's because she knows I'm investigating her. But what I've learned about her is incomplete and I want the whole story. Most importantly I've got to convince her to rescue Peeta. She heads special forces and that is the group that would do it. I can't get what they might be doing to him out of my mind.

I can see her approaching with two bows and two sheaths of arrows. One is mine and one looks like one from the games. I greet her "Good morning, Captain". "Good morning. But please, it's Em". I can't help but to relax a little because of her informality. She informs the guards that we'll be hunting, attaches our locator bands and takes a communication device. After she hands me my bow she comments again on its craftsmanship. I say to her "Your bow is just like the one I used in the games". "It is. They're mass-produced. No character to them. Maybe I'll find a woodworker to make me one after the war". I find it interesting that she sees an end to the war. She's the first person to say that.

As we walk in she gives me a hat like hers. It is a hat that the special forces soldiers wear. "Thanks. What kind of hat is this called?" "It's called a boonie hat. Not sure where the name came from. Could be centuries old for all I know." I ask "How did you get Coin to let you wear a different uniform from the other soldiers?" She responds "Easy. I told her we need to wear a uniform for where we fight. In the woods, in the desert, in the city." That makes sense I think. Then she continues "Then I whined and begged until she gave in." I laugh and she gives a smile.

After about an hour and a few small game kills we stop and she climbs a pear tree and tosses down a few pieces of fruit. "Let's take break." I think she knows it's time for us to talk. "Well. Ask away." And we sit. "You didn't look surprised at the reaping." "I wasn't. It was rigged." Now that wasn't the response I expected. " What do you mean?" She gets a small smirk on her face and says "My name was on all the slips of paper and the mayor warned everybody not to volunteer. It was my turn to go." I'm guessing this was some District Two career tribute thing but I found out I was wrong. "The Capitol told the mayor that I was to be reaped. They didn't tell him why, just ordered him to do so." Emma must sense my curiosity by the look I have on my face. She takes a deep breath and pauses. She's trying to decide whether to tell me the story or not.

"Did you ever wonder why there are so many different kinds of dogs? Big, small, hunters, pointers. Hundreds of different breeds all came from the wolf. It's called selective breeding." I chime in "By choosing dogs with different attributes you can breed dogs with certain abilities for different jobs." I'm afraid to ask where this is going when she proceeds "Well if you can do it with dogs you can do it with people. If a man and a woman both have blue eyes there is a better chance their baby will have blue eyes." What is she telling me? How is this possible? Even I learned in school that dogs have been breed like this for thousands of years, with people it would be even longer. She continues "But to do this with people would involve too many people over too much time so they took a shortcut. Genes can be manipulated. This is no guarantee that they would get what they want but it would increase the odds."

This was all too much for me to handle and I'm not sure how to respond so I just look at her and say "You?" "Yup, I was part of the capitol's grand experiment. There was a female egg donor chosen for her genes and a sperm donor chosen. Then a woman to bring me to term. That's the nature part. I have better eyesight, hearing and smell. I'm also a very fast runner with above average endurance. I'm also stronger than a woman of my size." She's leaving out intelligence but I'm sure she is also smarter than most.

Now the nurture part "They chose the Dever's as my parents. My father taught me how to survive the games but looking back, also to serve the Capitol. In my case do the dirty work for the President." "You assassinated people for the President. But you're here now, what changed?" "I was in an accident on a train and I had a head injury." She knocks her head and says "Steel plate." She smiles and continues "When they operated they took out a piece of my skull and in that piece was a piece of electronics. The doctors didn't know what to make of it and said it was embedded in me due to the accident. Later I found out it they put it in me years ago to control the part of my brain. The part that contains your conscience. After that I couldn't kill. My superiors couldn't understand what was wrong with me but they still found me useful so they moved me to security."

"You want to hear more?" I couldn't get the word "Absolutely" out fast enough when she said "Later." After a pause Emma says "There is a deer behind me, do you see it?" I get up and load my bow "Yes, but it is out of my range." Just sitting there she says "Take the shot, you can do it." I pull my bow back when she tells me to stop. She grabs my ankle and tells me to keep my bow loaded but lower it. "Close your eyes, relax and clear your mind. Focus on your breath. Hear only your breathing. Visualize your breath." I can feel myself relaxing. She tells me to open my eyes and asks what I see. "I see the deer clear as day." "Take the shot now." I pull back and release. Perfect hit, the creäture is down. I had never hit anything from that distance before. "Let's go take a look" she says.

When we get there Emma takes a deep breath and just says "How the hell are we going to get this thing back?" We both laugh.

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A/N. We not only start to learn who Emma Dever is but why is Emma Dever. I'm introducing her because Katniss doesn't have a person she can truly look up to. That person would have been her father and mother but because her father is dead and her mother is not completely there, there is a void. We see possible characters that can fill that void but they are all lacking. Gale is too much like her and she doesn't respect Haymitch (for good reason). Cinna is no longer around. Prim looks to her for guidance and Peeta is her equal. Because of circumstances and personality she has no friends. As the story progresses we'll see if Emma fills that void.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Hunk

As I walk into the dining hall I see Emma eating venison from the deer I killed. "Hi Em. May I." "Of course. I see you got some also. It's delicious. I hate to say it but I miss the food in the Capitol." "Don't apologize. I miss it too" I reply. I'm wondering if this is the right time to reopen our conversation when another officer sits down. A lieutenant. Kat meet Elenor Menton, Leader of Platoon Three and the Company Planning Officer. What's up El?" "This meat is so good. The cook who came from your district is great" El gushes. "Greasy Sae is good. You should taste what she does with wild dog." The silence from the table was deafening. Finally El says "That young lady is too much information."

Em asks El what else she has and El shows her a small bowl with pudding. "It's chocolate. I bribed someone in the kitchen for it. Here you go." Em looks at her cynically and asks "Alright, what do you want?" "Nothing. I know it's your favorite." "OK, I'll eat it. But, I'm still suspicious. And you better not let them catch you. You know what they're like here."

Suddenly El says "Ooh, ooh here he comes." I look to see who they're looking at but I don't see anyone special "Who are you looking at?" El responds "That hunky guy. He delivers stuff to the kitchen every day at this time." I'm trying to wrap my mind around two officers ogling some guy when El looks at me and says "You know Em has been crushing on him for a while." Emma then stops her and gives her a look "You really need to apply your filter once and a while." I'm getting a kick from their friendly banter when El asks me "Do you think Em should ask him out?" Em then gently bangs her head on the table and asks "When does the hurting stop?" I respond to El's question "I'm not sure, but I'll pass you a note during homeroom." They are now silent and stare at me. Then laughter. El, wiping tears from her eyes says "You twelves are OK. First a great cook now a comedian. Alright I'm out of here. I have work to do before tonight. I ask what they're doing tonight and El tells me they're having a five mile run in the valley. I see this as an opening to spend some time with her and ask "May I come along?" El asks "Why? I find running boring. But if you want to, sure. Meet us at twenty hundred hours." I look at Em and she knows why. "That's eight pm. I'll have a uniform sent to your room." El says bye, picks up her paperwork and playfully skips away.

"She's funny" I say. "How long have you known her?" "Since the first day of first grade. I was on line behind her and she said we are friends, and I asked why. She said because Em and El are together in the alphabet. A year after the games I left District Two and we didn't see much of each other. Until five years ago when I recruited her as a spy for us. She worked in the Mayor's office. And now we're best friends again."

"At the reaping, was she the girl that wouldn't let go of your hand?" I ask. "Yes, I didn't want to let go either, but I didn't want her to get in trouble."

I can't help but ask if it's hard for her to have friends as a soldier. Her response was interesting " Very hard. As an officer I'm worried about second guessing my decisions. For example, have I sent someone else on a mission to protect El. I can't afford to be like that."

"Well, I have to go also. See you later." She collects her stuff and walks off. As she leaves I can't help to wonder about two middle aged women acting like school girls. I come to the conclusion that this is what they do as friends. I admire their friendship and realize that maybe this is something missing from my life.

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Yes. This was a very light chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm developing Emma's backstory as it goes along. I've enjoyed the PMs that have been sent. Thanks


	6. Chapter 6 The Run

Chapter 6

The Run

The uniform that was sent to me consisted of camouflage pants, shirt, jacket and boots. I wear the hat she gave me and I'm dressed as one of the company. I look through the sea of soldiers until I spot the captain. She has a smile as she greets me "Hi Kat. Are you ready?" "Sure." We start to run "But what about the rest of the company?" "Don't worry about them, they'll catch up."

We run through the woods. These woods are not unlike the woods near District Twelve. The weather is cool and comfortable. I almost feel at home and it's good to get out of the claustrophobic feel of Thirteen. As we run downhill, we run hard. So hard you can't talk at all because of my heavy breathing. I realize that we won't be able to discuss I want, convince her to rescue Peeta. She runs with more ease than I do. Emma seems to just flow over and around obstacles. When our downhill run is over we run on level ground for a while and I catch up. We slow to a jog "You're doing fine" Emma comments. I say thanks but I think she's lying. I'm tired and we still have the uphill portion to go but I have to keep up. She slows down a little so I can keep up. "Are you OK?" she asks. I nod and keep going. She smiles. For the uphill part I just focus on keeping up. And I do. We make it to the top.

I go to sit down and she tells me to get up and walk it off. She hands me a drink. And now it comes "What else do you want to know?" She's caught me off guard, I pause and then ask "Can I ask you about your, um, work before your train accident?" "You asked that very diplomatically and yes you can " she responds. "Do you remember the people you've killed?" She nods and looks away before answering "Yes. Every last one. You see I have perfect memory. I remember everything." At first I think how great that would be but then I anticipate her next response correctly. "The worst are the ones who were looking at me when I killed them. Those memories are burned deeply in my mind. I remember the look on their faces. Some realize what was happening and they look like they've accepted what was happening to them. Some fearful. Some confused about why I was about to take their life" I now have an insight into her that I didn't have before. I don't know if I need to inquire any more today.

I'm staring at her and she looks at me and asks "And?" I swallow deeply and say "I want you to rescue Peeta." I'm sure I won't get the answer that I want but I had to ask. "It's not that easy. I don't make that decision." I ask back "But you can recommend?" Em nods to me to walk with her away from everybody else. "Listen Katniss. It's not that easy. You see, we know where Johanna and Annie are being held but our spies can't locate Peeta nor Enobaria " I think she can see the disappointment on my face. "But we have plans to act as soon as we can."

"I want to help rescue Peeta when you're ready." I say. Em lowers her head and says "That's an even harder request. You have to be approved by all six officers and you wouldn't get it. You haven't even passed basic training yet." She's right. I've blown off all the training. "I understand." I say, but I have to find a way to help.

I turn around and I spot Gale. How did Gale get in? He probably just finished training. "How did Gale make it?" I ask, maybe too harsh. "Gale has a special talent. And we need it." I can't imagine what that talent might be. I know he's working with Beetee in weapons development. It might be related to that. It's probably secret so I resist asking. "Plus, Coin would never approve it" she adds. I couldn't agree more. I'm her Mockingjay. But I must find a way to get into the fight.

"Breakfast tomorrow?" "Yes" I respond as I walk away disappointed.

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A/N The last of the set up chapters. the action starts next.


	7. Chapter 7 The Hanger

Chapter 6

The Hanger

I hate propos. They're fake and they keep me out of the fight. While men and women are out there fighting and dying I'm in this hanger being filmed on a hovercraft pretending to prepare for a battle. "Come on everybody just one more shot of the Mockingjay on this hovercraft" says Cressida with Castor and Pollux in tow. The hovercraft is filled with gear and appears ready to go to war.

As they are preparing for the shoot I look around the hovercraft ans I see sixteen seats with names taped to the seatbacks. Probably names of the soldiers assigned. Rogers, Samcon, Doc, Dever, Mars...Dever. Could this be Emma's ship? Could be the name of another soldier with the same name. I don't know how common the name is.

We take the shot of me leading soldiers up into the hovercraft a few times at different angles until Mesalla yells "Cut. That's a rap" and the crew starts to pack up. I look at the soldiers and what uniform they are wearing. It matches the Company S uniform. Like the one they have me in now. Hat and all. I wander back up the gangplank to the hovercraft while the crew is busy. They don't notice me disappear. I sit down and wonder what the mission is. What are they going to blow up? Who are they going to kidnap?

Now my mind is starting to race. Could this be my chance to get into the fight? Is there a way I could hide on board? Is there a hiding place? The hovercraft is pretty sparse. No compartments, just these crates. What's in the boxes? I open them and they are filled with supplies and weapons. I might just fit. I climb in. It's tight but I just make it. I pull the cover shut and settle in. I'm committed now to a plan I might regret.

After a few minutes I can hear the hovercraft filling up. I think I hear the pilots talking about the destination. I can't figure out where they're going, they're talking in code. Then the troops start to come in. I hear them talking, I can hear Emma. She not talking about the mission, just small talk. It sounds like they're strapped in and ready to take off. We start to move. I'm bouncing around. We haven't taken off yet, we're just rolling. We start to pick up speed and I can feel when we take off, it's now smooth. I'm not bouncing around any more.

I can hear people talking but I can't make it out. What if they find me and just send me back. Well, I'll get a lecture from Coin I guess. I keep rolling around in my head different thoughts. Where are we going? What is the mission? What is Gale's job? They must be going to blow something up. Gale was working on a trigger.

We've been flying for a while but I've lost track of time. I drift off and wake up each time I doze off when we bounce around. It's gotten quiet. No talking. I can here some machinery is operating. The crate starts to move. It 's not moving now. Maybe we're landing. Suddenly it DROPS. FREEFALL. It's happening so fast that I can't even scream. It stops and I feel it land on the ground gently. My heart is racing and my stomach is queezy from the experience.

I can hear people milling around but no one is touching the crate. I then hear a man give the order to open the gear boxes. The top of the crate opens and the sunlight streams in. I can see the face of a female soldier. "What the..., Sarge you better get over here quick." "Why? What's the problem?" I look up and see six faces staring at me.

And an older man says "Looks like we have us a stowaway."


	8. Chapter 8 The Stowaway

Chapter 8

The Stowaway

"Looks like we have us a stowaway."

"What is she doing here?"

"What are we going to do with her?"

"Call the transport to pick her up."

"Oh. Let her stay."

"Leave her here. We're not babysitting Coin's Mockingjay."

"HEY." I yell back.

"Alright. Everybody calm down. We're not calling anybody. We're on radio silence" says the Sargent trying to regain order. "And we're not leaving her here." I look over and spot Emma. Expressionless. Just staring at me. Not interfering with the soldiers as they speak about me as if I'm not even here.

The Sargent says "Get out of the box Missy." Emma corrects him "Sargent. That's Soldier Everdeen." "Yes Ma'am. Everdeen. Out of the box. Stand over there." I get out of the box and walk towards Emma as the Sargent and his Corporal walk over to the side and talk alone. "Em. Let me..." She stops me and says "That's Captain." I start again and say "Captain. Let me explain. I just had to get into the fight. And this seemed like the only way. I was..." She stops me again, and while looking at the Sargent says to me"Quiet."

The Sargent approaches and says "Well Cap. We can't send her back or leave her here so I guess she's coming with us. I suppose we'll find something for her to do." "You're with me or Doc at all times" Em says as she nods towards the medic "Take my sidearm. It's only for short range so don't waste your ammo."

The Sargent comes over and introduces himself as Sarge. "This is Corporal Samcon. My number two. Doc, Mars, Cormath, Rogers, Breakway, Logan and Leto." Leto is one of the females and greets me "Welcome."

Sarge gives the command "Move out. Leto you're point, Logan rear." I file behind Em and we start to walk.

Sarge is an older man, and very large. As big as Thresh. Reminds me of him. He could be from eleven. Leto is a slight woman. Really just a girl. I don't think she's much older than me. Samcon is also a female but the complete opposite. She's six feet tall and muscular. Mars, Comath, Breakway and Logan are all big and muscular men in their mid to late twenties. I couldn't guess what district they were from or what they're occupations were. Doc is a little older and Rogers looks like a boy. I'm sure he's not but he looks younger than me.

We march. Fast. And mostly uphill. I can see large mountains in the distance. I've seen mountains like these when we were nearing The Capitol. The squad move like it is a single organism. They are quiet and communicate with hand signals. When the point thinks something is wrong, he squats and lowers his hand. We then all get down. When the point is out of visual range they communicate with bird like whistles. I want to find out what the mission is but we can't talk.

After two hours of marching through the woods we stop for a break. It's a good thing because I was getting a little tired. I move toward Em. She pulls out a pear and offers it to me. "Thanks." "I'm sorry Em...Captain. I saw this as the only way to get into the fight." "No time for that now, but you better do as I say. Understand?" she says as she stares at me. "Yes." I then ask "Yes. Can you tell me what the mission is?" Her response was "No. I'll tell what you need to know and when you need to know it."

Before I can talk to her about anything else Sarge says we're moving out. "We can talk later." We start our march again. We march for another hour when we suddenly stop. Something is wrong. I don't think we got a reply from the point with a bird-call. We're crouched down now when Sarge signals Em to the front. She points to me to stay with Doc. She moves up and talks to Sarge but I can't tell what they're saying to each other. Mars then gets down on all fours and Em stands on his back and peeks over the bushes and then gets down. She takes her weapon and screws something onto the barrel. It's thicker than the barrel and makes it about 18 inches longer. She then gets on Mar's back again stands up while Leto steadies her and she shoots twice. There is no sound from the gun. Three of the soldiers race forward.

We all move up and we see two dead peacekeepers and Logan talking to Sarge. "Sorry Sarge. They caught me by surprise." "No harm. It worked out OK." "Give me one of their weapons and the spare clips" Em orders. She turns to me and says "Take my weapon. I'll use this one, and give me my sidearm back. Do you understand how to use it?" I respond with a nod yes. I also ask how come the gun didn't make any noise. "It's a noise suppressor. Can't use it all the time though. It reduces the range and accuracy of the gun. Besides look how long it makes it".

Two of the soldiers drag the bodies into the brush and cover them."Cap. Someone's gonna notice they're missing and come looking for 'em." "I know. I'm sure their unit is close by. Let's get a move on. How long til we get there?" Sarge says "Ten or fifteen minutes" We move out.

We arrive at some train tracks and hide in the bushes. "How much time do we have?" "Almost an hour" answers Sarge to Em's question. "Captain, is this the Capitol?" I whisper. She nods yes. "How are we getting in?" "Taking the train. Of course."


	9. Chapter 9 The Train

Chapter 9 The Train

I don't understand. Are we going to sneak on and stowaway like I did on the hovercraft? Do we have agent who will let us on and hide us? The answer, I will find out is no.

Em passes me something she calls a harness. It is flat webbing that goes on me like a rope jacket. She fits me in and tightens it. "The train will stop here and we'll sneak under it. See these snap hooks. You'll hook them on to a rod that's under the train. First the one on your chest then this one for your waist. Then you'll pull yourself up like this. You will be attached to the bottom of the train. Then lift your feet and put them on top of one of the cross rods. Keep them up. If your foot drops and touches the ground while we're moving you'll be ripped to shreds. Do you understand everything?" I nod yes and ask "This is your harness. What will you use?" "I'll make one out of rope and snap hooks. Don't worry I'll be next to you all the way." The thought of ridding under a train going hundreds of miles an hour just hanging by a rope is a little unnerving but none of the soldiers seem concerned. She then continues "When we stop in the tunnel I'll give you the signal and you'll release the hooks by pressing this latch. First your waist then your chest. We'll then roll out the left side and move against the wall. There is a utility room that we have the key for but our agent may be able to leave it unlocked.

"Does the train usually stop here?" " No" she responds "We've tampered with the switch so it will have to stop while they move the switch manually. This will take enough time for us to attach ourselves." I ask "Is this how the train will stop in the tunnel?" "No. It's a standard stop. They search the train including the undercarriage" she responds. "Won't we be seen?" "No. We'll be out by the time they get to us."

"We can relax and eat now. The train won't be here for while." I decide to use this time to ask something to Em. "When did you start to work for the Capitol?" "After the Victor tour at the next Hunger Games. I was there as a guest, I had to watch the Games as protocol dictates but I didn't really pay attention. After the Games I was taken by Capitol." She stops there but I know there must be more. "And what happened next?" "I don't know. That year is a blank. They did something to me. To my mind. Something that took me from being an eighteen year old girl to being a bloody murderer. I did some investigations into my conversion but I only have part of the story. They have something called hijacking using tracker jacker venom but this was something more invasive than that. Plus that venom will pass through your system eventually. With the chemicals they probably used some sort of electronics to turn me, and remember if you are told something often enough, even a lie, you'll start to believe it." I contemplate this. I find it hard to believe that you could change someone so much. "You said there was some sort of electronics embedded in your skull, could that be part of it?" I'm sure but there's no way to be sure. I couldn't find any records or people who knew anything to confirm this."

She looks over and sees Sarge starting to assemble the squad. "Are you ready?" I'm asked. I nod yes. "Then let's go." We move up to the tree line just before the train tracks and hunker down to wait. Em taps me and points to my hat. I take it off and also make sure all my hair is in my jacket and not hanging down.

I can hear the train going and the locomotive passes us and in a few minutes comes to a halt. That's our signal, we move. I look at the train and see it's a cargo train. With no passengers there wasn't much of a chance we'd be seen but we still move swiftly and quietly.

I roll under the train to the opposite side and feel around for the rods. Found it. First my chest snap hook then my waist hook. Em helps me pull myself into position. It's harder than I thought but we get me into position. Next my feet. I look over and see Em start to clip her makeshift harness into place. Because she helped me and she's not wearing a real harness it's taking longer. I hear the train whistle go off which means the train will start soon. She's still not fully up when the train starts to move. Her chest is in position and she's trying to get her waist up. Her feet are still down and dragging on the ground when she takes one powerful tug and lifts herself in. The train picks up speed when she pulls her feet up. I get a thumbs up. We're rolling now and picking up speed.

We're going full speed now and I try to relax. I clear my mind and focus on my breathing like she taught me while hunting. It starts to work. The noise of the train doesn't disappear but moves into the background. My eyes are closed and I see only white, a bright white. Nothing else just this bright white vision when suddenly I see my father. He's in his hunting jacket. It is so real. More than just a picture of him in my mind but it feels like I'm really there with him in the woods. Then Prim appears with her duck tail. Gale setting snares. My mother treating a patient. And finally Peeta. The boy who saved me and the boy I hope to save one day.

We jerk forward when we slow down and then come to a complete stop. We're in the tunnel when I hear voices and see flashlights coming towards us. Why aren't we moving? Aren't we going to be seen? Let's go. I look at Em and she puts her finger to her mouth and signals me to stay still and quiet. They have a plan. But what is it and when will it happen? They're getting closer.


	10. Chapter 10 the tunnels

Chapter 10

The Tunnels

They're getting closer. I ask myself again why aren't we moving when there is a bright flash a few cars forward of us. The guards rush towards the flash. I see Em release herself and I do the same. I'm not as coordinated as I should be and I drop on my back and knock the wind out of myself. Em grabs me by the scruff of my neck and guides me towards the tunnel wall. I'm having trouble breathing and I'm struggling not to make any sounds when I see the door open and we all rush in. When we get inside the room I fall to my knees and try to breath deeply. Doc comes to me and asks if I'm alright. "I knock the wind out of myself." He rubs my back and it's soothing. My breathing is returning to normal. "Thanks, that's better."

Sarge tells us we have to go. We leave through another door and there is a hatch in the floor. Half the squad is already through and the rest of us follow. "The Capitol has another city underneath it. Miles and miles of tunnels. For utilities, water, sewage, trains and even roads for small delivery trucks." And it seems we're headed to a dock for delivery vehicles. There are two small vans waiting and we pile into both. In ours, Samcon starts to undress and puts on a deliveryman's outfit. "Ready Sam?" Em asks. Samcon nods yes and enter the driver's seat. We start moving.

The tunnels are dark and a little claustrophobic. I've always been leery about tunnels. I like the outdoors. If something goes wrong there are many directions to escape. In a tunnel, there are few options. I think of the miner's back home. How they deal with conditions worse than these in spaces much smaller. I picture my father, with pick in hand struggling to release the coal in the walls. When an explosion occurs that snuffs out his life.

We're moving at a good speed for a few minutes when we come to a complete stop. I hear someone talking to Samcon. We can hear that he wants to search the back. They walk around. I hear the key go in and turn. I'm sitting in the first seat by the door. The door starts to open. I see a peacekeeper and he sees me. As he starts to raise his gun I ram the butt of my gun right in the middle of his face. Samcon clobbers the other peacekeeper over the head and they both go down.

Sarge comes up from the second van. "Put them in the van. Doc, give them something to keep them out." We haul them into the back of the vans. Em comments to me "Good job." "Thanks." I respond. "I didn't even think about what I was going to do. It was almost instinctual. What about them?" "We'll be gone before they wake up" answers Em. We start moving again. About 20 minutes later we stop and are told we're here. The vans with the two unconscious peacekeepers are put into two storage garages and they are padlocked. We walk through a door and into a smaller utility tunnel.

We crawl about 10 yards and they open a hatch. We go up a ladder through a tight tube and exit into a small utility room. There are other soldiers there and as we exit the room; I see we are in an apartment. The apartment is filled with soldiers. The apartment is spacious, with many rooms. All the decorations are garish. The colors are varied and bright and the paintings and small statues are over the top. The drapes are pink and remind me of Effie's hair. "Who lives here." "No one. One of our agents acquired it. Up to now we've used it as a safe house. Ugly, isn't it?" She says as she makes a face to show her disapproval.

"Welcome Cap" a soldier says as we walk through and I get a look from him. Then I realize, they're all staring at me. "Where's the X.O.?" "In that bedroom with Sparks." "Come with me." We go into the bedroom and I see a Lieutenant and a radioman. Sparks is a young man with wavy hair and glasses. He's quickly typing instructions on one of the three computers sitting in front of him while he listens on his headset and speaks commands to someone on the other end of the radio.

The Lieutenant is a tall, thin handsome man with dark brown hair. I'm guessing he has seen some action by the look of the fresh scar on his face that runs from the corner of his nose, across his cheek ending just below his eye. I'm guessing it was a very sharp knife by the smoothness and thinness of the scar. A half-inch higher and he would have lost his eye. The scar makes him look very menacing.

"Good to see you Cap and...Miss Everdeen." She corrects him "Soldier Everdeen." He nods to me "Soldier." "Give me an update." "Platoon two and three are on schedule.""Good. I'm going to change." "Cap. You know you shouldn't be going on the mission.. You belong here at command. I should be going." After a pause she says "I appreciate your concern. It'll be alright." She then looks at me and tells me to come with her.

I know that blowing off my training was not a good decision. I don't even know what X.O. Means.

"What does X.O. Mean?" She answers back that it stands for Executive Officer. He is the second in command of the company.

"I have to change." She removes her uniform and starts to put on a white uniform. I see a tattoo of a snake with it's head on her back right shoulder. The artwork is magnificent. "That tattoo is beautiful." "Thank you. It covers a multitude of sins. And scars." "What is it covering?" I ask. "A burn scar.. I know you know all about being burned." I shiver at the thought of being burned. I remember being burned in the games and how painful it was. "How did you get burned?" After I ask her I sense she is trying to decide whether to tell me or not. "It was a mission gone south." She pauses, then "I was betrayed."


	11. Chapter 11 The Snake

Chapter 11

The Snake

"My partner and I had been together for a couple of years. He was an extremely good looking man with a body that women jumped over each to try to get to be with. The hair, the bedroom eyes. He would bed a different woman each night if he had the time. He also had an ego to match. He always thought he was smarter than everyone around him. I sometimes felt it would be his arrogance that would get him killed one day. And worse, me also. But he was quite irresistible."

"We were sent to eliminate someone. As I was leaving, after setting the bomb, it went off early. I was close by and got burned. He thought I was dead and I would have been if it weren't for the tremendous piece of furniture between me and the bomb. He took off." "That must have pissed you off." "More than that. It turns out he took off before the explosion. He knew it was going off early. I was sure he tampered with the timer. But I couldn't confirm this nor what his motive was." "What did you do next?" "I let him think I was dead so I could do my investigation." She pauses again "And." "And, I investigated. Followed him, tapped his phone, hacked his computers." "What did you find out?" "I confirmed he betrayed me."

This story has caught my attention and I have to hear more. "What else?" "The sense of betrayal was overwhelming. I had trouble deciding what to do next." I haven't know Em long but I can't see her as indecisive. Unless they were more than just partners. I had to ask. "Were you...?" She turns and looks st me "Lovers, yes."

"Why did he try to kill you?" "He was secretly working for one of Snow's political enemies. His new boss ordered me killed. I didn't know who his boss was."

"I had to decide what to do and I decided to kill him, and eventually his boss." I think for a while about "deciding" to kill someone. Even in revenge. How does one decide to kill. How did I decide that I want to kill Snow. He was, after all the cause of all this pain to me and the people I care for. "I knew he would eventually try again" she added.

I have already decided that if I have a choice I will kill snow with an arrow but what was her choice. Shoot him? Stab him? Arrange for an accident? "How did you do it?" "Well, one day he and his wife went out to dinner to their regular restaurant. They went there so often they even used the same booth. Earlier in the day I stuck a listening device under the table." She explains. "While they ate I listened. Small talk about their son, their friends, their neighbors. Stuff like that. Nothing special." What was she expecting to hear? "I was waiting in the delivery corridor when I heard what I was waiting for. He was excusing himself and going to the men's room. I entered the kitchen, walked through and followed him into the men's room." This seems odd to me "Didn't anybody notice a woman going into the men's room?" "No. Simple disguise. Pants, trench coat, hat, my hair was up, sunglasses." "Weren't you worried someone else would be in there or someone would walk in?" I ask. "It was a chance, but the place wasn't too busy. And I lucked out. When I walked in he was washing his hands and I came up behind him and put the wire around his neck and pulled as hard as I could."

This sends a chill through me. When I killed in the games I used my bow. It was a distance away and it was swift. Strangulation must take time and you're right on your victim. Plus they're fighting back.

"He was facing the mirror and I remember the look on his face as I drained the life out of him. I know he knew it was me. He fought back and we fell on the floor. I refused to let go and I pulled tighter. Eventually, he went limp. I was sure he was dead but I checked his pulse anyway." She pauses and just stares off into the distance. "This was the second time I killed for personal reasons." Although curious I probably shouldn't ask but I do "When was the first time?" She takes a deep breath and gently shakes her head no. I can see from the expression on her face and the look in her eyes I shouldn't go any farther. She continues "I put the wire in my pocket and walked out. Back through the kitchen, into the corridor. I put the hat and glasses in my bag and reversed the jacket, let down my hair and walked outside and went across the street to a small cafe and ordered herbal tea."

"Why didn't you just leave?" "I had to make sure he was dead. A couple of minutes later a patrol car showed up and then an ambulance showed up. The medics went in but then came out and left. To me, that means he was dead. I paid my bill and left." As she tells the story I amazed at how emotionless she is about the story. Is there still some cold blooded killer left in her.

"After that I reviewed my notes, tapes and did some more investigation and found he and his wife worked together for the same boss. She was the one that ordered me killed. It wasn't because I was sleeping with her husband. There was never any indication she knew. It was purely business. I interfered with her bosses rise in power. If they took me out it would be one less obstacle to cross as they tried to overthrow Snow."

"Nobody knew I was still alive. Not even my handler. I waited til the time was right to kill her. On a moonless night thirty flights up, I lowered myself to her balcony from the vacant apartment above. I entered her apartment. She had left the balcony door unlocked and I knew from my visits there that it wasn't alarmed. I put the noise suppressor on my pistol and opened the door. There was enough light in the room to see her sleeping with her new lover. I aimed my gun and shot her twice then him twice. They were both dead. I walked over to see who was sharing her bed. I knew who he was. It was one of Snow's Vice Ministers. His most valued assistant. The one he depended on for advice for keeping the districts in line."

"Looking back, it was no loss. He was as evil and ruthless as Snow was. Maybe even more. Always trying to prove himself to Snow. He always went too far when came to punishing people especially when it came to uncooperative workers. Close down a factory or a logging camp. Collapse or even blow up a mine for punishment." My heart just sunk. Could this man have been responsible for the explosion that killed my father. The explosion that was so intense his body was never recovered. "Did he..." She stops me "I know what you're thinking. And no it wasn't him. This was about five years earlier." "But could that explosion have been intentional?" "It's possible. Maybe we'll find out after the war. The Capitol is known for being obsessive record keepers."

"As I was about to leave I saw a light on in another room. I went down the hallway to investigate. My gun ready to shoot. I entered the room. It was the nightlight in the baby's room. In the crib was their son. He was sound asleep in blue pajamas. I could see his father in his face. Same eyes, same nose, same mouth. He'll make the women swoon when he grows up. I couldn't help to think that this young innocent was born to and was being brought up by a pair people who kill for the pursuit of power. Not just theirs but also the state. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. When I looked at the boy. All I saw was his father."

What was she about to tell me? Did she kill the boy? Oh, I can't believe it. She couldn't have. But she was a different person back then. She then says something I couldn't believe " I took my gun and..." she paused and now my heart just sunk.

"... and I holstered it. Found a bag and packed it with his cloths and baby supplies. I picked up the boy and left with him."

After I started to breath again I asked "Where did you take him?" " I caught the first train out and left the Capitol. It didn't matter where it was going, I just had to leave. I ended up in District Eight. I went to the central medical clinic where the social workers were. I bribed a social worker to find a family for the boy. She didn't ask why. Just took the money. I told her it had better be a good family because I would check on the boy and his upbringing. I'm not sure if it was threat or not, but she did find a family. A good family. "

"He was adopted by the Brauns. A family with five children to feed already on a textile worker's salary. I sent money for them every year. The social worker gave it to them and said it was from the rich woman who gave the boy up. He has been brought up well."

I ask how old he is. "He's the same age as Prim. His first reaping was two games ago." "Were you worried about him being picked?" She answers back "No. Before the reaping I went to the Mayor's house in the middle of the night. When I saw him in the hallway, I grabbed him, put a gun in his mouth and told him that if young Joshua Braun or any of the Braun children were reaped I would blow his brains all over his puppy dog poop brown shag carpet. He was so scared he wet himself." She nods approvingly with a smirk. "The Mayor just nodded yes and I left."

She sighs and adds "I wish I had been able to stop the Games by just threatening some middle level bureaucrat, but I can't. So we go to war."

She managed to go from cold blooded heartless killer to protective guardian in one story. "Do you know where he is now?" "No. With all the fighting in District Eight the whole family has disappeared. Another thing on my list to do after the war."

I see a tear in her eye and this is the end of this story. I move on "Why a snake?" "That was my code name. My partner gave it to me because I could sneak in, do the job and get out silently." She looks around the room at the other white uniforms and says "Find a uniform your size and change." I'm surprised at the order. I thought they were just going to park me here until the mission was finished. My delay prompts "You wanted to get into the fight. Right? Well now's your chance." I walk over and pick out a uniform close to my size and start to change. "What are these uniforms?" She responds "Ambulance medics." "What's our mission?" 'We're going in and rescuing Annie, Johanna, Enobaria and... Peeta."


	12. Chapter 12 The Hall of Justice

Chapter 12

The Hall of Justice

We leave the apartment through the tunnel and make our way to a warehouse. When we open the hatch we're again met by armed guards. "Hi Cap, Soldier. The Lieutenant is by the rig. And by rig he means a fire truck. "A rescue to be exact. And also an officer's car and two ambulances" Em adds. I look around and some of the soldiers are dressed like us and some are in firefighter outfits.

"Lieutenant Maxon is in charge of the rescue. He'll explain your job." He starts to explain the mission and my role and I come to realize how complicated a mission like this is. I'm glad that Em trusts her best friend with planning the complete mission. "Okay. You understand what you need to do?" I respond yes and make my way to the ambulance Em is next to.

"Let me show you your gear. This is the O2 kit. Open this compartment and this houses a machine pistol. Don't take it out unless you see me go for mine. To start the Oxygen flowing turn this knob all the way on and the mask on the patient. Okay?" "Yes I understand." Our rig has me , Em and Leto. Samcon and Doc in the other.

"How long do we have to wait?" "It should be any minute now." We hear an explosion in the distance. "Right on time. Tell Johnson I owe her dinner." Obviously the explosion was our doing and now the call of a fire at the Hall of Justice comes in. Sarge tells everyone to mount up and get going.

We get on the ambulances and move out of the warehouse and head towards the Hall of Justice. As we turn the corner I can see smoke rise from the building. "What did we blow up?" I don't get an answer. I look over and she has a distant look in her eyes. "Cap. Captain. Are you alright." Em shakes her head "I'm sorry. What did you ask?" "What did we blow up?" She responds "Weapons research lab. Don't worry, it's not near where they're held." She then takes a small wad of a herb and puts it between her cheek and gum, and sucks on it.

We approach the loading dock area. It's on the opposite side of the building from the fire. When we get there we get out and walk towards the service entrances. The Lieutenant stays behind. He's acting as a major in the fire service. He'll turn away any other fire crews that show up. When we enter the dock area Sarge is talking to one of the guards "We got an alarm on the twentieth floor." the guard responds that floor is a secure floor and he has to call for permission. As he dials I see Samcon reach for her weapon. "The call isn't going through. Phones in that area must be out." "Well you better let us up. What happens if there is really something wrong?" "Okay, okay you can go."

The firefighters pile into the large service elevator. The soldier that came with the Lieutenant is staying at dock. We have to wait for the second elevator to come. We get in. As we rise to the twentieth floor, it is going painfully slow. Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen. Suddenly Em takes out her weapon and drops her gear "There's something wrong. Leto and Samcon do it also and position themselves ready for action as the door opens. Leto moves out first cautiously. We can hear hurried voices ahead of us. When Leto peaks around the corner she sees what's going on and yells "Doc, Doc we need you." He picks up his gear bag and tells me to follow with my O2 kit.

What we see is a bloody mess. Three peacemakers are all shot up and so is Mars. He's alive and moaning in agony. Doc attends to him. "What happened here?" Sarge responds "We had everything under control when a third peacemaker came out of the can. When he saw what was happening he started shooting. We responded." Em takes charge"Okay. Let's move these bodies out of the way. Doc, how's Mars." "It's serious. Let's get him on a stretcher and prepare to move him. I'll start an IV."

"Did you get them out yet." Cormath responds "Mellark is free, but unconscious, Cresta is also free and changing. We're having trouble with Mason's door. No sign of Enobaria. Cormath asks for the second stretcher to be brought in. I look at Em and she says "Go in and see him." I rush through he door and see him. They're changing his clothing into some sort of worker's uniform. I want to hug him but I resist. From the noise outside it sounds like they broke through Johanna's door. Peeta looks fine but he's unconscious. Doc comes in and examines him "He seems okay. I think he's just sedated." They've dressed him and have put him on the stretcher. They apply soot on him. Like he's been in a smoke-filled room. I start him on oxygen. The mask covers his face.

I look into Johanna's room and I see Em pleading with her to get dressed. There is something wrong with her. She's very confused "Dever, I don't understand what you're doing here. Who are all these people. Everdeen, why are you here?" "Johanna. We're here to get you out. Just put these on." She comes to me "Get her to put these on. We need her to walk out of here." She then leaves to check outside.

"Listen, Johanna we're here to get you out. Please put on the cloths." "Why can't I go out like this?" She's completely naked and huddling in the corner. "You helped me in the games, Johanna. Now it's time to for me to help you. Please put on the cloths." "Okay." And she starts to dress. Em sticks her head in "Ready?" "Yes, we'll be out in a minute."

I lead Johanna outside and they apply soot to her face and I try to put on the oxygen mask. She resists when Annie comes over and says "It's okay." She takes her hand and leads her away. I look around at everything, the dead peacekeepers, the wounded soldier, Peeta on a stretcher and Annie and Johanna on oxygen. It seems like controlled chaos.

We get on the two elevators and start the long slow ride down. Everyone is silent. Em has her machine pistol out in case some one tries to get on the elevator. When we reach the dock I see the stretcher with Mars is already going out of the door. The peacekeeper on guard keeps asking what is going on. He is disturbed at not getting a response when he tells us to halt and pulls his gun. I spy Em with her pistol with it's noise suppressor at her side. The guard is at the phone trying to reach anybody but the phone is dead. He's getting very agitated. I turn to Em again and she nods her head to the right. I think she wants me to move that way. She's going to shoot him.

"What's going on in here?" Maxon, dressed as a major, says as he enters the dock. "Well major, no one is telling me what's going on. The phones are dead." "Well I tell you what's going on. There was a secondary explosion. These workers were injured and one of my firefighters is critical. Now get out of the way so we can get these people to the hospital." At that moment all the lights go out. "See, It's getting worse." "Yes sir. I'll hold open the door."

We make our way to the ambulances with our victims. "Thanks Major." "No big deal private" he says to Em with a smirk. "I see Platoon Three succeeded". I assume Platoon Three's job had something to do with the blackout. We put Peeta and Johanna in one and Mars and Annie in the other. Cormath joins us as driver and Rogers in the rear. Breakway and Sarge join the other ambulance. Maxon drives off in the officer's car with the soldier he came with. Logan drives the rescue. "Where are we going now?" Em responds back "Back to the warehouse. We'll leave the vehicles and escape by tunnel."

The rescue and car take off first. We then follow. I look at Peeta and stroke his face. I wish he was awake so I can look into his beautiful eyes. "Thank you." "It's not over yet soldier." I know that's true. This mission is far from over and there is a lot ahead of us. We won't be safe until we're back in thirteen.

As I stare at him he is starting to rustle. Could he be waking? Will I be able to see those blue eyes again? His eyes open and I say "Hi Peeta. You're safe now." Just as I get this out he lunges at me and tries to grab my neck. I fall back and knock Johanna into the cab. The ambulance swerves and I'm flung against the wall. Peeta is still trying to attack me screaming out how it's my fault. Em orders Leto and Rogers to subdue him. The ambulance is still swerving when it crashes and we're all thrown forward. "Hold him down. Hold him down." I think Em is trying to give him a shot. "Hold him steady." I'm not really sure whats going on because of the pain. I hit the front panel and my right side is in more pain than I ever before. Even more than that burn. They must have given him the shot because his is calm now.

The back door opens and Doc looks in. "What happened?" "Peeta went crazy when he woke. He's under control now. Help Kat. I'll check Johanna and Cormath." The pain is excruciating and I feel like I'm going to vomit, which I do. Doc stands me up and says "Let me look at you." He feels my shoulder and then he says "What's that?" He asks and nods. I turn my head to see what he is pointing to and he grabs me and twists my shoulder. "Hey. What are you... Wow that feels better. What did you do?" Your dislocated your shoulder and I put it back in. I know it will be hard 'til we get home but avoid raising your arm over your head. I have to check on the others."

I walk around and see Johanna is okay but Cormath looks a little woozy. "Sarge load everyone into the other rig." "Cap there's a whole boatload of us. I'm not sure we'll fit." "We better. The only other option is walking. Let's go."

"We put Cormath on the O2 we had on Annie and he says he's feeling better. "How much farther?" "One mile Cap. Two minutes." Sarge assigns who is going to carry the stretchers "and Samcon escort Cresta and Mason." I look down at Peeta and wonder what they did to him. "Do you think he was hijacked?" Em responds " Most likely. He was with them long enough." "Okay we're here." sarge says "Let's move out." We get out of the back and Rogers goes across the lot to the alley followed by the stretchers, Annie and Johanna. Sarge and Leto are covering our escape. Em and I are about to cross the lot to the alley when shots ring out. We all duck behind the ambulance. Sarge orders "Cap. You and Everdeen go first. We'll cover you." "Kat we'll sprint to that car and duck behind it. Follow me." Sarge tells Leto "Ready. Cover fire." Both of them start shooting as we sprint towards the car. When we make it they stop firing. "We're going to fire. They're in that white van directly behind us. Ready?" I nod yes and we both get up and start firing at the van. They make it to us and I see it's only Leto. She turns around and sees Sarge down. The peacekeeper van starts rolling and makes a beeline towards the ambulance. We shoot at the van until it makes it to the ambulance.

Em says "Let's go." Leto looks at Em and says "We can't leave Sarge." "We can't help him from here. Let's get to the alley." We take off towards the alley when a single shot rings out. I turn around and I see Em stumble and fall. Leto grabs my shirt and pushes me to another car. Em is rolling trying to get to cover as bullets hit the ground around her.

"Where is it coming from?" "I see him. Third story, third window in." Leto says "I don't see him." "I do. I'm taking the shot." I get him in my sights. My heart rate is so fast I'm unsteady. I close my eyes just for a second and work with my breathing rhythm. I open my eye, he's clear as day in my sight. I start to squeeze the trigger. I pull and the gun goes off. I got him. He falls over and falls out of the window.

"Let's get Cap." Leto says as we run towards Em. She was hit in the leg. We lift her and I hold her up as we run to the alley as Leto covers us. We stop at the alley entrance. "What about Sarge?" She says again. Em takes out her binoculars and looks at the peacekeepers and Sarge. "He's still alive." "I'll get the others. We have to get him." "Leto. Wait. Shoot. There are more peacekeepers are coming." "What are we going to do?" Em responds "I don't know. There are too many for us to fight." Suddenly something happens.


	13. Chapter 13 The Water Tunnel

Chapter 13

The water Tunnel

Suddenly an explosion. "What was that?" Leto asks almost hysterically. "He took out a grenade and blew himself and the peacekeepers up." "Oh no. Sarge, Sarge no, no." Leto is in tears and just repeating Sarge, Sarge. She's getting louder and finally Em puts her hand over her mouth but because of her leg they fall over. I can hear a noise behind me and I turn to shoot. I lower my gun when I see It's Samcon. "What's going on?" I say " Sarge is dead, Em is injured and Leto is, is..." I don't even know how to describe it. Samcon is much bigger than Leto and she just picks her up, stands her on her feet and slaps her across the face. So hard I could feel it.

"Leto. Leto. Listen to me. Sarge is gone. We have a chance to get out of here. Are you with us or not?" Leto looks at her and calmly says "Yes Sargent." "You two help the Captain to the door where the rest are." We each grab one arm and help Em walk to the door. When we go through the door I see we are in a warehouse with plumbing supplies. Through another door is a hatch in the floor and I see Rogers. "Everyone else is already down there. Lower Cap down." We help Em down and follow her down. Its a long tube. About fifty feet down. The last one in is Rogers. He closes the hatch. There is suddenly a bright white flash. "What was that?" Leto answers "He sealed the hatch with a small amount of burning metal. It's spot welded and won't open." It looked just like the flash in the train tunnel. Probably the same burning metal.

We climb down slowly be cause of Em's injury. It's bleeding and still hasn't been treated. When we make it to the bottom we are in a round tunnel about ten feet in diameter and it's got a small stream of water of the tunnel. Doc goes over to Em and examines her. "Where are we?" "A water tunnel." "How come there is no water running through it?" "Sparks hacked their computer and arranged for maintenance people to close the valve because of a repair project. We have to move before they reopen the valves." I Support Em as we walk. We have to walk about five miles before we hit our exit. That distance with healthy soldiers would take over an hour. With two stretchers, Annie, Johanna and Em all slowed it will take longer.

"Have I thanked you yet?" I ask Em. "Yup. But hold it until at least we see daylight." The tunnel is cool. Fifty-five degrees. Just like the mines back home. The walk is going slow and even I know we're a sitting target down here. "Sarge. Are there any exits between us and our exit?" "No Ma'am." I ask "Is that good news?" "Yes. We hold our exit point. As long as we hold that we're good."

"Stop. Quiet." Everyone stops and keeps quiet. "We're being followed. Lets step it up. And only one dim light up front" We move again, but still not too fast. I can hear them and they sound like they're running. I think we have twenty more minutes to go. "How much of a lead do you think we have?" Em looks at me and says "We'll be fine." She must know something I don't know because it sounds like they're coming up fast.

I look to see how she's doing when she pulls me to the ground and the deafening explosion occurs then another and a third. Everybody hits the floor of the tunnel and wind and dust fly above us. She pulled me down a split second before the explosion. How did she know it was about to go off? She looks up and says "Outstanding Rogers." "Thanks Cap." I ask "What happened?" Rogers tells me "I set mines along the way. When they stepped close to them they exploded."

Samcon asks if everyone is all right. Everyone responds with a yes. "Rogers. How many more are still down here?" "Three more." "Good. I feel better now." Samcon then tells us to move out.

"It's here." Breakway says as he points to the roof hatch. Cormath and Breakway lift Leto up and she reaches the hatch and opens it. When it opens two rope fall down. Sarge orders "Mars first, Doc next then Mellark. The rest follow. Rogers you're last. Seal the hatch." They attach the stretches to the rope and we radio them to start hauling. Up go the stretches, Annie and Johanna. I'm surprised they have enough energy to make it up. But when freedom is only 200 feet away you push yourself.

I go next then Samcon followed by Em and Rogers. She wants to go last because she's slow. Rogers is small and can squeeze by her. I look down and can see Rogers is climbing the ladder when a machine burst happens and he falls and is motionless. Em looks down at Rogers and says"We have to release the ladder and close the hatch." But she can't do it because of her leg and Samcon couldn't pass her because of her size. I climb down and wiggle past Samcon. "Everdeen, What are you doing. Get back up there." " I can do this" and I squeeze by her. All this time Em hasn't moved. She just has her gun trained down and is ready to shoot anything that moves down there. "Unhook the ladder." I release the hooks holding it on and it drops to the floor of the tunnel. She whispers "Toss this grenade and as soon as it blows up grab the hatch and turn the wheel to close it. Ready?" She hands me the grenade, I pull the pin an toss it down the tunnel. It explodes and I reach down and grab the hatch, lift it and turn. "Won't they just open it and shoot at us?" "No. I'll take care of that." Is she thinking of staying down here and just holding it shut? "Climb past me and get going." "No Em I won't let you stay down here." "I'm not. Get going." I hear from above "Everdeen let's go." "I'll be right behind you" She promises.

She takes a grenade, takes the pin out and wedges it under the handle."If someone turns the wheel it will go off and damage the wheel so it won't turn. We need to be out of distance. So get going. Samcon, myself and Em climb as fast as we can.

It's daylight outside and I see Maxon standing with other soldiers. "Is the Captain behind you." "Yes. She's moving slow though." I move to a tree and sit at it's base. Someone hands me water. The fresh air and water are refreshing. I hear small arms fire in the distance. Em is greeted by Maxon when she gets out out the tube. "Hi Cap." "What's our status?" "We're under attack from the east." A radioman hands Em a radio and we hear "Fox one this is Mustang One." Em responds "Good to hear you Mustang One. I see you brought the cavalry with you."

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Two chapters are left. I'll publish them on Friday and Saturday. This weekend I'm publishing the first chapter of "Emma's Games. The Fifty-Seventh Annual Hunger Games." It's part of Emma's back-story. We get a glimpse into what makes Emma, Emma.


	14. Chapter 14 The Landing Zone

Chapter 14

The Landing Zone

I can see the hovercrafts flying above the trees. Maxon says "I've got soldiers protecting our escape. They'll start to retreat as soon as we start moving." "Tell them to throw white smoke on my command." As Maxon gives orders to his soldiers Em speaks into the radio "Mustang One this is Fox One. 'Mustang One on.' Bomb east of the white smoke. 'Bomb east of the white smoke. Copy. Mustang Five, Mustang Six bomb east of white smoke.'" I see the white smoke rise into the air. "We move on the first bomb. Get ready." The first bombs drop and we get up and start moving. "We have a stream to cross in one hundred yards. We've set up machine gunners there." Maxon says "Tell them to bug out as soon as we're all across and then throw yellow smoke."

When we reach the stream I can see the machine gunners getting ready to retreat. As soon as we're all over the yellow smoke rises. "Mustang One this is Fox One bomb east of the yellow smoke. 'Copy that. Bombing east of yellow smoke.'" The bombs start to fall. "That field is our landing zone. We'll be home soon." Over the radio comes "We'll protect the LZ 'til you're all picked up. Mustang One out." We make it to the field and sit past the tree line. The X.O. Approaches "Good to see you Cap." "Has everyone reported in?" "Yes Two and Three were both successful. Three has been picked up and Two is in the process." Em says good as she leans against a tree and pulls another wad of herb out of a pouch she always carries, puts it in her mouth and sucks on it. She seems to relax. She looks at me "Peeta will be fine." "How did you know I was thinking about him?" "I saw it in your eyes." I can feel my face blushing a little. "We'll be back home soon and you can nurse him back to health." "No. I don't think I'm the nurse type. That's my mom or Prim." "I think you can pick it up."

"Can I thank you now?" "No not yet." was her response. I see the first hovercraft landing. The first ones they are taking are the wounded and I see Annie and Johanna going in. "How come they're not taking Peeta?" "The first one is for those not wounded too bad. There is a doctor on the second. Doc probably wants him to see a doctor right away. Let's move up." Em gets up and looks at me to follow but I 'm so tired I hesitate. She turns quickly and looks across the field. It happened so fast.

She fell on me and I look and see the blood pouring out from under her flak jacket. I scream "Medic, medic. Cap is down. Shooter across the field. Across the field. Some soldiers scramble to protect our position while another is looking through his binoculars. "I don't see anything." The X.O. Runs over and looks at his shot Captain. Where did it come from?" I point across the field. "Mustang One this is Fox 2. We have a shooter on the south side of our L.Z. Assist in search.'Copy that Fox 2.'" I know the tears are streaming down my face when Doc arrives. "Let met get a look at it." He pulls back her flak jacket and sees an enormous amount of blood pouring out of the wound. "Let's get her on the med craft now. Soldiers help us." Four soldiers show up. As we lift her the X.O. calls on the radio for them to wait. We sprint to the hovercraft and haul her to the ramp. Doc and I stay with her as it lifts into the craft.

Once inside we lift her on a table.

"Start an IV."

"Cut off her cloths and let's see what we got."

"Bring over the imaging machine."

"Wash the wound."

"Large entry and a large exit. The bullet's in the jacket."

"Bring up her blood type and start a transfusion."

"Prep her, let's get inside and see how much damage there is."

I just sit on the floor crying. I can't lose her. Not now. A nurse asks me to get up. I don't respond. "Soldier you need to get up and get examined." "I'm okay." She comes back "That wasn't a request soldier. I realize I'm talking to an officer. "Yes Ma'am."

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Only one chapter left. Look for "Emma's Games. The Fifty-Seventh Annual Hunger Games" on Saturday and the just published "The Book Dungeon".


	15. Chapter 15 The Hospital

Chapter 15

The Hospital

"You have to be more careful Katniss. You shouldn't run down the stairs" my Mother says to me as she adjusts the sling I'm wearing because of my shoulder dislocation. "I know but I was late for a meeting." "And look at you, you're all black and blue." "I decided to start basic training and they really knock you around" is the story I am telling my mother and Prim. No need to worry them. "Alright honey, I have to go on rounds with the doctors." We kiss each other good bye and I leave the examination room.

As I walk down the hospital corridor I think about how much I dislike it here. The antiseptic smell, the pure white walls and the thought that Peeta is in one of these rooms and they might not be able to really bring him home. He might be in this state forever. Look at Em, they took hostage of here mind for a third of her life. Oh how I yearn to look into those blue eyes again.

I saw Gale this morning. He was injured but he's strong and he'll recover. He was too groggy from the painkillers to have an actual conversation with him about the mission. I'm sure he doesn't even know I was on it.

I'm at the door; I'm worried about what I'll see when I enter. I open the door and I can see Em lying on the hospital bed. The whole top half of her body bandaged and her left arm is also bandaged to her body to prevent her from moving it. She has tubes and wires attached. An IV to her arm, an oxygen tube to her nose, wires too her chest to monitor her heart and a band completely around her to measure her breathing. This vibrant woman was reduced to this by the action of a small piece of metal.

I sit in a chair next to Em's bed and take her hand in mine. It's cold and I try to warm it with my one hand. She's so pale from the massive lose of blood. The doctor's are eager to examine her when she wakes up to see if there is any brain damage from the two times she died, or what did the doctor call it,oh, flat-lined on the operating table. Her physical recovery will be long. There was a lot of tissue damage in the area. It was a bullet that was able to penetrate the flak jacket. After it went through the flak jacket it deformed and created a large entry and exit wound. She'll need months of physical therapy.

She starts to move around. I think she's waking up. I look at the monitor and her heart rate picks up. Her eyes suddenly open and she looks straight at the ceiling. "Em. Em. It's me Katniss. Can you hear me." She struggles to turn but can't because of all the bandages so I stand and look at her and again ask "Can you hear me?" "Yes" she says in a very low and a very horse voice. She requests "Water." I pour some in a cup with a straw. She tries to lean forward to take a sip but she is too weak. "Would you like your bed moved up?" she nods yes. I move up the bed slightly, she takes a sip and then the door opens.

"Hello Captain. I'm glad to see you awake. I'm Doctor Menden, I'm going to give a quick exam, okay." He turns off the light in the room and takes out a penlight and looks at one eye then the other. "Good, good. Follow my finger without moving your head." He then takes his finger and moves it in front of her. "Very good. Later today you're going to take a few more tests. Until then just rest." He turns the lights back on as he leaves the room and Paylor enters the room closing the door behind her.

She nods to me and then turns her attention to Em. "Emma, how are you feeling? Can we talk a little shop?" "Hi Nora, sure" is her response. Although weak, she seems a little stronger already. "Boggs is so happy with the Special Forces he wants to take it from a company to a whole battalion. Congrats Major you're in charge." With that she pins a Major's insignia on her pillow. "Thanks Colonel" as see eyes the eagle on Paylor's collar. "It was hard enough to find 150 soldiers now they want me to find 900 hundred more." "Stop being modest. You can do it."

"Katniss, did you realize this is Mustang One. She protected our escape." I give a nod of acknowledgment to Paylor. "How did the missions go?" They all were successful." I know what ours and Three's did but I resist asking about Two's mission at this point. "Casualties?" "Eight dead, twenty-four wounded, four critical." Em closes her eyes and asks "Do you have the list of the dead?" Paylor reads the list starting with Sarge and Rogers then moves on to the others, all in Third Platoon. The door opens and Plutarch and Haymitch walk in and I can see guards posted outside the door.

The ever boisterous Plutarch asks "How are you Major? Get better soon. We need you in the fight." Haymitch manages a small hello. I think he's still in withdrawal. Em looks at the door and asks "What's with the hardware outside the door?" "I've posted guards." Em asks why but Paylor just shows her a clear plastic bag with a bullet in it. "Emma, do you know what this is?" She takes it in her hand and says "Yes. It's a standard issue Peacemaker round." "Yeah. We took it out of your leg." Em tries to chuckle and asks "What is it a souvenir?" "Not quite. Do you know what this is?" She hands another bag with what looks like it might be a bullet." "Not sure. But it's armor piercing by the look of the jacket." "Correct again. This is what went through you." "Ballistics?" "We can't identify it because it's so damaged but I can tell you this. It's one of ours."

"What do you mean 'One of ours'" Plutarch exclaims and this also catches Haymitch's attention. "Keep your voices down." orders Paylor. "I mean it is one of our bullets shot by one of our guns." "But who? Why?" Plutarch asks. Haymitch chimes in "Could a Capitol Spy be in the Company?" Paylor takes a breath and says "No. I doubt it. A Capitol spy would have acted earlier. Especially at the chance of capturing or killing Everdeen." "So you think it was one of our own people?" asks Haymitch. "Yes. We've just started our investigation and I can tell you this; this type of bullet was issued for the mission, none were used and they all came back." "Oh, this is ridiculous. Why would one of our own people shoot Dever?" Plutarch asks. "I don't know." she turns and looks at Emma. "But we all have our political enemies." "Okay Colonel, keep me informed." As he starts to leave Paylor looks at both of them and says "Gentlemen, this is on a need to know basis. Do you understand?" Plutarch and Haymitch both acknowledge her and walk out.

Need to know basis. Who are they keeping this secret from? And political enemies. Who could they be talking about? The only one I can think of is...Coin.

She turns her attention to Em again "Emma, I've got some more news." She's closes her eyes and mouths "What?" I can almost sense she knows what's coming. "It's Eleanor. She's been critically injured." I look at the heart rate monitor and I can see her rate go up. I look at her eyes and I can see the tears flowing out from under her eyelids. "How?" "The peacekeepers were closing in on them. They hadn't set the bomb yet. She set the timer early so it would blow, take out the electrical node and the peacekeepers at the same time. Unfortunately it blew when she was too close and she got injured." "How is she?" she asks in a barely audible whisper. "The doctors aren't sure yet. I told them to keep you informed. Okay?" Paylor kisses her on the forehead, nods to me and leaves.

"Can I get you anything?" "No. Get rest. I'm going to sleep." She releases my hand and starts to cry. I leave the room.

Emma and Eleanor have known each other almost their whole life. I watched on the tapes how Eleanor dropped to her knees and put her head in her hands and cried when the took Em to the games. Now after all those years apart to finally be together again only to have your best friend on deaths door is almost unbearable. It would be like me loosing Prim. I can't even think about it.

And now I add Emma to a list of people I must protect.

My name is Katniss Everdeen and I am the Mockingjay.

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Thanks to all who've read this especially to all that have sent me PMs. I hope you enjoyed it. This was my first FanFic and I enjoyed writing. I've written and published Emma's back-story, _Emma's games. The Fifty-seventh Annual Hunger Games_. And see Em and El in the short story _The Book Dungeon_. I have published a new story called FireGirl. It is a Katniss in a complete AU.

Good Reading everyone!


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